Silencer for firearms.



SILENGER FOR FIREARMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1910.

1,017,003, Patented Feb. 13,1912.

FigLL WITNESSES:

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ATTORNEY -ilNTED STATES ATE OFFICE.

CHARLES H. KENNEY,F NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT.

SILENCER roa FIREARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13,1912.

Application filed May 16. 1910. Serial No. 561.610.

a report following the discharge of a fire arm;

having particularly in View the product-ion of a symmetrical andreasonably cheap device that may be readily applied to the various typesof arms now in common use, and which is specially adapted for use withautomatic, and other rapid fire arms.

One of the important features of my invention consists of means for socontrolling and directing the exhaust and discharge of the gases that ajacket of said gases, substantially concentric with the axial center ofthe path of the bullet, is provided around said path, thus preventing,or rather retarding, the rapid destruction of the vacuum in theatmosphere incident to the discharge of the arm. I have also providedeffective means for expanding the gases, as they pass from the muzzleproper of the arm, and for separating said gases into a plurality ofsections, as well as for subsequently reuniting the said gases and fordischarging them, or a considerable volume of them, in the form of aconcentric jacket, as I have just explained.

In order to explain the said device clearly the accompanying drawingshave been provided, in which drawings Figure 1 is a side view of arepeating rifle or shot gun (as the case may be) embodying this presentimprovement and Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged, longitudinal, central,sectional view of the muzzle end of the barrel and of this new silencer.Fig. 3 is a view of the muzzle end of the said silencer. Fig. 4 is acentral, sectional,,view of one of the shearing disks 17 used in thesilencer of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a rear face View of one of said disks.In Fig. 6 I have shown, in central, longitudinal, section, a portion ofa barrel and a silencer, embodying my present invention, attached tosaid barrel; a modified form of shearing disk being illustrated 11* thisfigure. Fig. 7 is a rear face view of the impact plate 12. Fig. 8 is acentral, sectional view of one of the shearing and bathing disks of thesilencer shown in Fig. 6, and Fig. 9 is a rear face view of one of saiddisks.

Referring to the annexed drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the barrelof a fire arm,

which barrel may be of ordinary, or any desired, construction. Securedto the muzzle end of said barrel, (in the examples of silencers hereshown), is a forwardly extending, cylindrical, housing 11 in which isfixedly secured a centrally perforated, substantial, ring 12 which islocated a considerable distance from the muzzle of barrel 10 and thusprovides a chamber 13 in which the gases may expand to a considerableextent, and become equalized as to pressure, before-they pass on to theseparating chambers the said ring-12 serving as an annular impact andresistance wall which receives the major part of the force and shockincident to the sudden checking and deflecting of the gases as thelatter are discharged from the barrel 10. The said impact. wall 12 isprovided with a'plurality of openings 14 extending .therethrough andadapted to release a portion of the gases from the equalizing chamber 13and also to direct the said gases toward the open end of the housing 11;the openings 14 being preferably of increasing area from rear to frontso that a free passage and release is provided for the gases that enterthe said openings from the equalizing chamber.

Within the housing 11, forward of the resistance wall 12, I provide aplurality of disks that are peculiarly cupped, and otherwise shaped, inorder that they may first shear off and separate portions of the gases,and direct the same radially from the bore, and then direct the saidgases forwardly and discharge them into the free atmosphere throughopenings 15, in the muzzle end of the silencer; said openings 15 beingar ranged substantially concentric with the normal bore of the arm andwith the path of the bullet or,v if desired, the said gases may first bedischarged into an expansion chamber 16 whence they escape, in partthrough the central opening or bore of the silencer, but mainly throughthe concentric openings 15 which I have just described. The saidshearing disks are formed as cups 17 whose central portion. isperforated, as at 17 to allow the passage of a bullet;thecircumferential wall defining said central opening being drawn up, orotherwise produced, to provide a rearwardly projecting annularlmife-edge 17 by means of which the gases that attempt to follow thecourse of the bullet, are mainly directed radially into the spacesbetween the confronting faces of the stack of shearing disks. Each ofthe said disks is provided with one or more radial webs or fins 17 andwith circumferential cut-away portions 17; the said webs being providedto prevent the rotary movement of the gases within the otherwiseunobstructed annular spaces between the adjacent shearing disks, and theopenings 17 being provided to release the gases from said spaces and todirect said gases'toward the muzzle end of the silencer in the form ofajacket, or cylindrical. wall, of gas surrounding the path of the bullet.

edges 17 and are directed radially they engage and unite with the gasesthen passing forward through the openings 17 and are carried forwardthrough said openings and are finally discharged through the openings15. During the described passage of .the gases throu h the silencer, thesaid gases are gradua ly checked and expanded and are well spent anddissipated by the time they escape from the silencer, but Iv find byrepeated experiments that the ring of gases thus'released around thepath of the bullet and around the gases following said bullet still haveforce. enough to operate as a shield which checks and cushions theefiort of the atmosphere as the latter seeks to close the vacuumresulting from the discharge ofthe arm.

It should be noted'that in my described construct-ion of silencer thegases are at no time-blocked or trapped within the housing but aretraveling constantly toward the discharge openingsin the muzzle end ofsaid silencer. Meanwhile they (the gases) are equalized as to force,obstructed, and gradually reduced as to velocity, as they pass forwardlythrough the silencer. -By thus providing for a constant forward movementand discharge of the gases, I am able to produce a silencer that may beutilized safely with automatic, and other rapid fire arms.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and wish to secure byLetters fire arms comprising a rality of openings near the peripheryex-- tending in a line parallel with the bore of the arm, and anexpansion chamber in front of said disks having a central bore andconcentric openings.

2. A silencer for fire arms including an extension for .the barrel ofthe arm, means within said extension having an axial tapered opening, aplurality of disks within the extension, each" disk having a conicalcentral portion with axial opening, and openings near the peripheryextending in a line parallel with the bore of the arm.

3. A silencer for fire arms including an extension for the barrel of thearm, means within said extension having an axial tapered opening, aplurality of disks within the extension, each disk having a conicalcentral portion with axial opening, openings near the peripheryextending in a line parallel with the bore of the arm, an equalizingchamber at one end of said extension, and

an expansion chamber at the other end.

4. In a silencer for fire arms, an extension "for the barrel of the armhaving an equalizing chamber adjacent the end. of the arm, an expansionchamber at the other end with axial and concentric openings leadingtherefrom, a, ring in said extension at one end .of the equalizingchamber and a plurality of disks bet-ween said ring and the expansionchamber, said disks having axial openings and openings near theperiphery and.extending in a line parallel with the bore of the arm,said ring having openings near the periphery, of increasing area fromrear to front. I

5. A silencer for fire arms including an extension for the barrel of thearm, a ring within the rear endof said extension having tapered openingsand openings leadingtherefrom, a plurality of disks within saidextension forward of said ring, each disk having a plurality of openingsnear the periphery extendingin line with the bore of the' arm, and anexpansion chamber in front of said disks with a central bore andconcentric openings.

6. In a device of the character described, a shearing disk of cup' formwith central opening with rearwardly projecting annular knife edge,radial fins and cut-away portions between said fins near thecircumference of the disk;v said fins serving to prevent rotary movementof the gases. j CHARLES H. KENNEY. f

Witnesses:

FRANK H.- ALLEN, MADELINE D. RITCHIE.

